Latest On Jordan Hill
Unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill has not yet made his decision about where to sign, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports via Twitter, despite Hill's cryptic tweet last night that seemed to indicate otherwise. There's no apparent timetable for a decision, as an agreement could be reached as early as tonight or a few weeks from now, Zgoda tweets.
Latest On Marcus Camby
7:31pm: Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Heat are not interested in including Joel Anthony or Norris Cole in any sign-and-trade deals. Also, Rashard Lewis appears to be their number one target (Twitter link), thus making Camby less of a priority right now.
5:08pm: Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reports that the Rockets are willing to work out a sign-and-trade with any team, not just the Heat or the Knicks.
4:50pm: Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com notes via Twitter that Camby's meeting with the Heat, originally scheduled for this morning, was postponed, not canceled.
Lawrence On Bird, Hibbert, Gordon, Brooks
Larry Bird was leaning toward a return as Pacers president, former Celtics teammates tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, until owner Herb Simon nixed the idea of adding a scorer to the team during a meeting with Bird in late June, shortly before Bird resigned June 26th. Bird was considering an offer for Eric Gordon, Lawrence writes, but Simon, who has a net worth of $1.8 billion, doesn't want to pay the luxury tax. Though Indiana has only about $36MM in guaranteed salaries for next season, the Pacers likely couldn't have brought aboard Gordon, who's signed an offer sheet with the Suns for the maximum four years and $58MM, and retained all their free agents without becoming a tax team. Bird's concerns about his shoulder and back were also reasons he stepped down, but the 55-year-old NBA legend left the door open for a return to another team's front office. Lawrence has more from around the league, and we've got the highlights here:
Celtics Rumors: Stiemsma, Bradley, Cap
It's been a busy day in Boston, and that's not even counting the doubleheader between the Red Sox and Yankees. You can head over to MLB Trade Rumors for baseball news, but we've got the Celtics covered right here. Already today they've reached an agreement with Jeff Green, and we've heard that negotiations between C's restricted free agent big man Greg Stiemsma and the Timberwolves are on hold, perhaps allowing Boston a chance to woo him back. Stiemsma's agent, however, says his client prefers the Timberwolves and is willing to be patient with them, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Here's more of what we're hearing:
Players Who’ve Signed Qualifying Offers
When the Sixers’ new two-year, $13.1MM deal with Spencer Hawes becomes official, it will make NBA history. Hawes will be the first player ever to re-sign with a team after accepting a qualifying offer from the same team the year before. Hawes is already in select company as one of only 14 players ever to accept a qualifying offer, the one-year tender teams must make to players coming off their rookie contracts in order to retain the right to match offers from other teams. Usually, qualifying offers are merely the starting point for negotiations, if that.
Bobcats Sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
The Bobcats have signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 overall pick from last month's draft, the team said in a statement. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer pegs his salary at about $4MM for the coming season, but Kidd-Gilchrist is eligible for up to $4,602,720, which is 120% of the slotted amount for his position in the draft.
Most first-round picks sign for that 120% maximum, and it seems unlikely Kidd-Gilchrist would get anything less than that. A 6'7", 233-pound small forward who's known for his defense, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Kentucky this year, teaming with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis to lead the Wildcats to the national championship.
Larry Miller Resigns As Blazers President
Blazers president Larry Miller has resigned, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Miller is leaving to join Nike as president of Brand Jordan, a job he held from 1999-2006, Quick adds.
Nine Assured Of Team USA Spot; Odom Withdraws
TUESDAY, 11:41am: Blake Griffin is expected to take Chris Bosh's spot on the U.S. roster, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. As Goodman adds in a second tweet, that would leave five players competing for the final two spots.
Rockets Pessimistic About Re-Signing Dragic
TUESDAY, 10:18am: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle confirms that a Dragic/Rockets reunion appears very unlikely, noting that yesterday's meeting ended with a "thanks and good luck" kind of exchange (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 11:19pm: The Rockets are offering $8MM a year, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Odds & Ends: Hawks, D-Will, Calderon, Celtics
It's been another whirlwind day of player movement in the NBA, as the Hawks agreed to two significant trades, sending Joe Johnson to the Nets and Marvin Williams to the Jazz. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculated that Josh Smith may be the next Hawk to go (Twitter link), but Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Smith is excited about the moves, which would free up plenty of cap space for next summer, when Atlanta could go after Smith and other major targets. Here's news from elsewhere around the busy Association.